Napolitano for Arizona Governor - Children Plan Policy Paper

The Napolitano Plan for Arizona's Children

A recent report ranks Arizona 43rd in the nation in overall child well-being. Even more frightening, our state ranks lower on the list for the number of high school dropouts, per pupil spending, teenage pregnancy rates, uninsured children, childhood immunizations and babies born to mothers who did not receive prenatal care.

As Attorney General, I made children my top priority by cracking down on domestic violence, online sexual predators and deadbeat parents, and streamlining legal/community support resources for Arizona's children. As Governor, I will make this a better state for our children by:

Reforming Child Protective Services (CPS)
The reality: CPS is too bureaucratic. Unless a case of child victimization becomes high-profile, it typically is out of sight, out of mind. Not in my administration.

• Top to bottom review: Enhance policies, training and retention programs to result in faster service and more manageable case loads
• Support network: Call upon other state agencies to assist CPS in becoming more effective and efficient
• Proximity/access to leadership: Remove CPS from under Department of Economic Security and create direct reporting channel between CPS and the Governor

Improving Health Care And Mental Care For All Of Arizona's Children
The reality: More than 250,000 Arizona children are uninsured, despite the fact that most of them qualify for AHCCCS or KidsCare. Even one uninsured child is too many.

• Outreach: Work with public health officials and communities to boost health and child care coverage, generate awareness of health issues, and increase immunizations
• Expand AHCCCS and KidsCare: Make quality childcare accessible to Arizona families through information-sharing between state agencies and schools and encouraging businesses to pay KidsCare premium
• Deliver mental health services more efficiently: Facilitate coordination between government and social agencies, make family-centered practices and home and community-based services the norm

Creating Affordable and Quality Child Care
The reality: Many working families cannot afford decent child care and subsidy rates are out-of-date. Arizona does not meet nationally-recommended child-to-teacher ratios and child care licensing standards are not adequately enforced.

• Actively oversee School Readiness Board: Immediately direct study of viable child care funding options
• Make child care more accessible: Encourage employers to offer pre-tax payroll deductions for child care, launch awareness campaign for qualifying employees

Enforcing Child Support The reality: Child support enforcement is one of the most important jobs of state government. I increased child support collections every year as Attorney General, without added costs. Parents who pay child support but do not should, and will, face the consequences.

• Enforcement of deadbeat parents: Make collections and criminal enforcement of child support a priority for the Department of Economic Security, Attorney General, courts, and country prosecutors
• Empower parents: Support parents through employment training programs

Juvenile Justice Reform
The reality: Early intervention programs through schools and communities have proven effective in significantly reducing juvenile crime, and preventing adult crimes in the longer term. Awareness and education programs have resulted in a 24 percent decrease in tobacco use among our youth between 1996 and 1999.

• Support crime prevention programs: Invest in after-school programs, increase the presence of law enforcement in crime-infested neighborhoods, and expand the Health Families effort targeting high-risk new parents
• Rehabilitate early: Offer juvenile offenders rehabilitation services such as mental/behavioral treatments and community transition services
• Collaborate with key stakeholders: Work closely with the courts, Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, the Arizona Juvenile Justice Commission and others to review, reform, and implement programs
• Expand tobacco deterrence programs: Continue investing in anti-tobacco school and public awareness programs

If you would like more information about Janet Napolitano's Plan for Arizona's Children,, visit her Web site at www.gojanet.org